Ventura County Brushfire Now 80% Contained; All Evacuation Orders Lifted

Posted on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 6:22am

Firefighters now have the upper hand on a brushfire which gutted at least one home, and heavily damaged a second in the Fillmore area.

The 170 acre blaze is now 80% contained, and the number of firefighters is being downsized from a peak of around 400 last night.

Firefighters say they believe the blaze started in a structure, and then gusty wind spread it to brush, and then some vehicles, and another home.

There were some evacuations, with residents of about 80 homes ordered to leave as a precaution. The American Red Cross set up a shelter for those who were displaced at the Fillmore Veterans Memorial Building, at 511 Second Street in Fillmore. But, the evacuation orders were lifted early this morning.

There no word on when full containment may come, but firefighters are hoping to make as much progress as possible today, because a return of gusty wind conditions is in the forecast for tomorrow morning.